“If I Could Find 10 More Really Good People…”

By Josh Law

I was in Riverton, WY the other day, and I stopped by a shop to meet a guy I’d heard about — Mike Bailey. Mike runs Bailey Enterprises, a family business that’s been around since 1960. His dad started it after getting out of the Air Force by leasing a little gas station next to the post office. It’s grown a lot since then — today they’ve got about 150 employees and are still very much hands-on, community-rooted, and built on grit.

We only talked for a few minutes, but Mike said something that stuck with me:

“If I could find 10 more really good people, I could take over the world.”

It wasn’t some big motivational quote — just a guy being real. I hear that kind of thing a lot. Good work isn’t the issue. There’s plenty of that. It’s good people — the kind that show up, care, and fit the way the business runs — that are hard to find. And most business owners like Mike aren’t looking for magic. They’re just trying to find the right folks without wasting time or compromising the culture they’ve worked decades to build.

The more we talked, the more I realized how many companies are in the same spot. Family-run, third-generation, rooted in the trades — trucking, oil, gas, construction, ag, mechanics, manufacturing. The kind of businesses that aren’t flashy but keep the world moving.

They’ve got the work. They’ve got the values.

They just need people who see that and want in.

That’s where the story comes in.

Not marketing. Not gimmicks. Not TikTok trends.

A real, honest story.

One that says: “We’re not for everyone. But if you like to get your hands dirty, fix stuff, work hard, and be part of something that matters — we might be for you.”

That’s what we do. We help industrial businesses tell that story — and build a reputation that helps the right kind of people find them. Not through ads, but through alignment.

And I’m not trying to hustle some short term concept or tactic. 

I just want more “Mikes” to know they’re not alone — and that there’s a way forward.

If you’ve ever thought, “Man, if I could just find a few more of the right people…” — then maybe we should talk.

You may be inclined to think this is just about filling open positions. And while that’s often where the conversation starts, what this is really about is building a workforce full of A-players — and putting yourself in a position to be more choosy about who you bring onto your team.

That way, you can be more productive and more profitable with the people you do invest in. Payroll is one of the biggest expenses on the P&L, and our goal is to help maximize the return on that investment. We like to call it a “payroll investment”.

Every business needs people — but what businesses don’t need are the wrong people. They drag down the bottom line and pull focus away from what matters. This is about building a healthy, resilient business that’s positioned well for the future.

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